This post marks the beginning of my sabbatical: my six months of paid leave start on 1 March 2020. Before I eventually do get on the plane to Oz though, there are still a few things that need taking care off. So I will still need to go to Luxembourg twice before I’m well and truly gone. This post and the next are of the positioning flights to break in the ticket, so to speak.

Check-In

The first leg will be from Paris Roissy Geneva. The flight is operated by Air France, but also carries the codes of SWISS and Air Mauritius.

As such, the flight will operate out of Terminal 2F, which is the Air France Schengen terminal. Air France has a dedicated check-in zone for its SkyPriority and Business Class passengers.

During the check-in process I interact with three Air France employees and obviously they have all been properly trained in customer care. The first is a middle aged man at the entrance to the check-in area. I approach him and ask if I can check in here, even though I‘m booked on the LX flight number.

He welcomes me to Air France and tells that bien sûr, I‘m welcome to check in here, and makes a joke that with SWISS being located in the ‚flying saucer’ on the other side, by which I figure he means Terminal 1, boarding might be a bit cumbersome.

Next a young woman ushers me to a free counter, where another young lady welcomes me to Air France and checks me in. Of course, I know that this amount of staff is a luxury not many airlines can afford. And I know Air France isn‘t exactly in excellent shape financially. But seriously, from the perspective of the passenger experience, this is really how it‘s done. Lufthansa, are you even paying attention…? As I exit the check-in area, all three wish me a pleasant flight.

The Lounge

The two piers at 2F are very elegant and stylish, but also not very practical. Today it‘s okay because there aren‘t that many passengers. But when it‘s busy, it‘s difficult to get through.

The lounge is one level down from the main airside area and is spread out over two levels. In typical Air France manner, the services available on both levels are identical and include a fully stocked bar as well as a counter with savoury dishes and another with sweet dishes. I can highly recommend the crêpes sucrées. Although you probably don‘t necessarily need to have five like me…

Throughout the lounge the Air France branding is visible, from the posters on the wall to the pattern on the floor. The lower level is usually a little less crowded, by the way.

The Cabin

Boarding is strictly by zones, with Business Class passengers boarding in zone 1.

From the inside, the Air France A 318 is easy to distinguish from the A 319 because it has cloth seat covers instead of leather. On every row of three there are four USB ports. The aircraft also has wifi available and the crew will distribute information cards in Business Class with instructions how to log in.

On today‘s flight there are six rows ahead of the cabin divider for a total of 24 seats. I count 20 passengers in the forward cabin. Incidentally, on the port side, there is no row 1. So row 2 is the bulkhead row.

The Crew

There are two cabin crew in the Business Class cabin. Both of them are middle aged. The female cabin crew is elegant in her appearance and very charming in dealing with passengers.

Once the doors close, packaged and scented wet towels are handed out. The flight time is 55 minutes.

The Meal

Despite the short flight time, Air France does a full meal service on this flight. Given the size of the cabin, the trays are served from the trolley.

On the tray there is an asparagus salad and shrimps on a raspberry coulis, which taste much better than they sound.

In addition, there is a small plate of cheese. The crew offer warm bread from the basket to go with that.

For dessert there is a rhubarb tarte and a small piece of dark chocolate. The flight attendant is very attentive and goes out of her way to make passengers feel comfortable. If only flying could always be like this…

Arrival

At 13h40 the captain comes on the PA to inform us that there will be a delay of about thirty minutes for our arrival, due to the fact that there was a dog on the runway and all arrivals had to be halted for forty minutes while they caught it.

As you may have guessed, I’m a big fan of Air France. Even so, I have to say that on this trip they really impressed me. First of all, because I find it refreshing that the staff on the front line who deal with the passengers obviously seem to enjoy their jobs. Or at least are sufficiently motivated to deliver a seamless and rather pleasant customer experience.

Eventually, we land at 14h33 and taxi to our stand in the French sector of the airport. And that‘s when the culture shock sets in…

Introduction

Air France operates two daily flights from Dubai to Paris. AF655 is the night time service which departs Dubai at 01h30, to arrive in Paris at 06h15 in the morning. This flight is operated by a Boeing B 777-300ER and features Air France’s fabulous la Première.

AF659 is the day time service that leaves Dubai at 06h40 and arrives in Paris at 11h40. This service is operated by an Airbus A 330-200. Air France is currently in the process of refurbishing the Business Class cabin on its Airbus A 330s. In both the old and new versions, the seating configuration is 2 + 2 + 2, seeing as the aircraft are mostly deployed on mid-haul sectors only. The main difference between the new and the old seat is that the old seat is an angled lie-flat, while the new seat is also lie-flat but horizontal.

Theoretically, only aircraft in the new configuration are operated to Dubai. However, for operational reasons it may happen that you will find yourself sitting in an aircraft in the old configuration.

If check the seat map, in the new cabin the first row on the port side is row 1. Whereas in the old configuration, the bulkhead row on the port side is row 2.

Getting to the Airport

I leave the Sofitel Downtown near Burj Khalifa at 04h26. The journey to the airport takes exactly 14 minutes to complete – partly because there is hardly any traffic with it being the weekend, and mainly because the driver clearly has a pressing appointment with death and thinks I might fancy coming along for the ride.

Check-in

Air France operates out of Terminal 1 in Dubai. Check-in is done in area 2 and there are seven counters open when I arrive.

When I arrived in Dubai a week ago, the immigration officer stored my passport data, so that I could use the biometric smart gates. As a result, passport control for departures is now very swift and painless.

At this time of the day, Terminal 1 is not very busy. As such, security only takes a few minutes and then I’m on my way to the shuttle that will take me to the D gates.

The Lounge

In Dubai Air France uses the SkyTeam lounge for its Business Class passengers. The lounge is very spacious. I’d like to say it’s also quiet, but that would be a lie, because there’s this beastly little squirt making enough noise for ten. Luckily the little creep soon vanishes when the Saudia flight to Jeddah is called for boarding. Peace at last…

Boarding

Boarding starts at 05h55. It’s still dark outside and the location of the gate makes photos of the aircraft impossible.

Boarding is by zones, with Business Class passengers in zone 1 boarding first.

The Cabin

My first impression of the seat is good. The cabin looks tidy and the seat configuration is practical. There is a stowage compartment right below the video screen and in the side of the seat.

The inflight entertainment has touch screen technology and the picture is very sharp. Complimentary wifi for text messages is available. For more capacity, passengers can purchase individual packages.

The divider between the two seats is good, and in the open position offers at least some privacy.

Service

On this service, Air France serves the main meal immediately after take-off, which I think is rather inconvenient, because most passengers have had an early start and want to sleep, more than anything else. And so I decide to skip the meal and go off to Noddy land instead. In the bed position the seat is very comfortable, and together with the thick blanket and plump pillow makes for a good few hours of sleep.

The First Meal

I wake up halfway into the flight. One of the crew sees me and immediately comes to ask if I’ll have breakfast, which she subsequently brings me with an espresso and fresh orange juice.

The meal consists of a plate of smoked salmon and smoked turkey.

Fruit salad and yoghurt.

And a selection of bread.

There is also a choice of English breakfast or sweet crêpes. But seeing as I already had something to eat in the lounge, I decide to skip the hot meal.

The Second Service

A bit over an hour out of Paris the lights come on and a light snack is served.

It consists of three small canapés with cheese, salmon and grilled vegetables.

A bowl of fruit.

And a strange looking dessert I steer clear of…

The Crew

The crew on this flight are truly excellent. Throughout the journey they are constantly passing through the cabin and even actively asking passengers if there’s anything they can do for them.

Arrival

Eventually, we land in Paris ahead of schedule, despite the detour via Saudi Arabia. The flight ends at Terminal 2E. I now have to make my way to 2F for my onward connection.

Introduction

To date, the UAE’s three largest airlines, some of the country’s ANSPs and a few smaller operators use the tests my university is responsible for. Which is why I regularly travel to the UAE to train new assessors. Every time I come here, the flying Dutchman tells me it’ll probably be the last trip for a while. But that never really seems to be the case…!

I go through immigration in terminal 2G, at which I just arrived on a flight from Basel. Behind passport control is the stop for the shuttle bus, which pulls up just as I’m through passport control. The journey to terminal 2E(K) is nine minutes.

On the way I get a nice tour of some of Paris’ best sights (at least I think so…):

Once I enter the building at 2K, I head one floor up to the main concourse. My flight to Dubai is boarding from K41, which is the gate immediately next to the escalators.

Boarding

I don’t recall having passed through this terminal before. And I must say, the architecture is spectacular.

Just as I step off the escalator, boarding for my flight begins, 55 minutes before departure. That seems rather early to me, but I figure I might as well skip the lounge and just get comfortable on board instead.

Well hello, gorgeous! Aren’t you a lovely big girl… in case you hadn’t realised, I seriously have a thing for the B777. Those engines…!

The Cabin

The Business Class cabin on Air France’s B777-300ER is configured in a reverse herring bone layout. There is a smaller Business Class cabin of four rows between the L1 and L2 doors, and then the larger cabin after the L2 door. Row 3 is the bulkhead row of the forward cabin, immediately behind La Première.

Air France has one of my favourite Business Class products. The design of the seat is great and the amount of privacy offered is also very good.

There is ample storage space and the layout of the seat is very practical.

When I reach my seat, a pair of slippers, a thick pillow, a nice, fluffy blanket, and a bottle of Evian have already been placed there.

The Service

A member of the crew quickly comes to greet me and then hangs my jacket.

Once boarding is completed, service begins with a welcome drink. There is a choice of champagne or fresh juice. I have the latter, which turns out to be a combination of apple, banana, orange, pineapple, spinach and something else I’ve now forgotten. It’s quite tasty!

This is followed by the distribution of the unscented hot towels, which are also very fluffy.

We take off heading westwards. Our flight today is routing via Switzerland, the eastern Mediterranean, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The flight time is six hours and 25 minutes.

After take-off, the vanity kits and menus are distributed.

The Meal

The service begins as soon as the seat belt sign is turned off.

Amuse Bouche

To start, I just have a glass of Perrier, which is served with the appetizer, which is smoked duck with a celery and hazelnut purée. There’s also a packet of cheese-filled crackers.

First Course

The tray is served with the first course and salad on it. The starter is foue gras, which I simply don’t like, and a lentil and cauliflower salad, which is very tasty and flavourful.

Salad

There’s a lovely selection of warm bread served with the meal.

Main Course

For the main dish, I have the fish, which isn’t all that good and has a somewhat off-putting smell from the reheated mussels.

The Cheese

Next is the cheese course, which is served with more bread. There are three pieces of cheese, a camembert, a cantal and a goat’s cheese. All three are quite subtle and go well with a glass of port.

Dessert

And finally, for dessert I have a small ramekin of mocha ice cream, which is a refreshing conclusion to the meal. Two hours after take-off, the service is completed.

For the rest of the flight I lounge in my seat, reading my Kindle. I can highly recommend Ian McEwan’s The Cockroach, which is a brilliant satire based on Kafka’s Metamorphosis but in reverse, in which a cockroach finds himself transformed into the British prime minister.

The Second Service

90 minutes out of Dubai, the lights are turned on again and a light snack is served ahead of our arrival.

The snack consists of a chicken wrap and two sweet pastries and is perfectly adequate, given the short flight time.

Arrival

Eventually we land after six hours and fifty minutes, including 25 minutes spent holding over Dubai. The airport seems very quiet and there are hardly any people on the shuttle to the arrivals building.

Immigration is deserted. I’m seen to by a friendly young guy, who tells me he’s now registered me in their system, so I’ll be able to use the eGates on my next visit.

I grab a taxi and make my way to the hotel. It suddenly starts raining heavily, and within minutes Sheikh Zayed Road is flooded is places. I’ve never seen Dubai like this. It’s still warm though.

Getting to the Airport

The Sheraton at Roissy Terminal 2 is not a bad hotel. And without
a doubt there’s hardly a hotel here with a better view of the apron and the
runways beyond. The hotel’s main entrance is located right above the railway
station. From here it’s just a short five minute walk to Terminal 2E, from
where the flight to Beirut will be departing.

Check-in

Air France checks in on rows 4 to 8 at Roissy 2E. The
SkyPriority counters are on rows 6 and 7. There is a separate exit from the
SkyPriority check-in area, which leads passengers directly to the priority lane
for passport control. As my flight will be departing from one of the M gates at
the satellite terminal, I will first have to catch the automated shuttle. Security
checks for the M gates are carried out in the satellite.

The Lounge

This is the same lounge I visited about three weeks ago when
I last flew to Dubai with Air France. The lounge has been designed in such a
way that it looks and feels like walking through a small park. It’s very bright
in the sunshine, and the lounging areas are all set in green carpets that
really do make it look a lot like a stylised park.

Boarding

Air France tends to start boarding for its
flights early. Today’s departure to Beirut is scheduled for 09h05. But boarding
already starts at 08h10, according to the boarding pass. By the time I finish
writing a few e-mails and make my way to gate M24, it’s 08h30 and I figure
they’re probably just about to start boarding. But in actual fact, by the time
I reach the gate they’ve already made the final call and the aircraft is in the
final staged of boarding.

The Cabin

The flight to Beirut is operated by a Boeing B 777-300ER.
There is a small mini cabin ahead of the L2 galley with four rows, from 4 to 8.
And then there is the main galley from row 9 onwards. I’ve already reported on
this seat in a post from January. I think this is the best business class seat
Air France currently has in the fleet. It’s comfortable, private and has ample
storage space. And it looks good too.

Service

Service on the ground begins with the welcome drink. There
is choice of water, champagne and water melon juice – which is what I have.
Next, the vanity kits and the menus are distributed. A pillow, blanket and
slippers are already at my seat when I arrive.

A Problem

By 09h00 the doors are closed and we’re ready to go. We slowly start to push back from our stand, when suddenly there’s a loud thump and we come to an abrupt standstill, right there on the taxiway. For a few minutes, nothing happens. But then the one engine that had already been started up is shut down and we start moving forward, back onto the stand.

A few minutes pass, then the captain informs us
that the tow truck oversteered the nose gear and that therefore, we have had to
return to the gate for inspection. At around 09h45, the doors close, and we are
informed that everything is fine. We push back again, only to stop in more or
less the same position on the taxiway. Once more we stop, and then start moving
forward again. Once we’re on stand again, the captain informs us that the nose
gear is leaking hydraulic liquid, and that therefore, we’re going to have to
swap aircraft. At 10h15 we are allowed to disembark the aircraft. The gate
agent tells me it’ll be a while before something happens, so I might as well go
to the lounge.

I inform her that I only have a connection of two hours in
Beirut, which I’m not likely to make. She gives me a reassuring smile, tells me
not to worry and instructs me to go to the lounge. At 12h05 one of the lounge
agents pages me. I go to reception, where the staff inform me that the Beirut
flight has been cancelled. Passengers for Beirut have been reprotected onto
tomorrow’s flight. And I have been put on the Air France nonstop service to
Dubai. Well crap. Don’t get me wrong, I think Air France handle the situation
very well. But I was just rather looking forward to my flight from Beirut to
Dubai on MEA. Maybe next time…

The nonstop service will be departing from gate L48, which
means I’m going to have to make my way back to the main terminal. Fortunately,
I find a friendly and very helpful security agent. He explains that if I take
the train, I’ll have to go through security again. However, if I take the
shuttle bus, the journey might be longer, but at least I will not have to go
through security again. I figure the shuttle bus is the better prospect, mainly
because that will give me a complimentary tour of the airport and the aircraft.

Eventually, by the time I arrive at the L concourse, it’s
just gone 12h30 and boarding is expected to start at 12h45. I figure I might as
well make use of the food voucher I was given by Air France and get myself a
smoothie from a place called naked. Only, the voucher is for EUR26, but my
smoothie is only EUR6.90. I explain to the young lady that it’s okay. But she’s
not happy and before I know it, she’s prepared a bag for me with a large bottle
of Vittel, two cookies, the smoothie and a packet of cheese and onion crisps –
which brings the total to EUR23.90. She clearly looks happier now…

Boarding Again

At 12h45 boarding starts by zones from gate L48, starting with zones 1 and 2 for SkyPriority passengers.

The service on the ground pretty much follows that of the
previous flight. The departure of the second flight goes well. Although by the
time we enter the runway for take-off behind a Thai Airbus A 380, we’re running
45 minutes late. But the flight time is announced at six hours and 25 minutes,
so we should be arriving in Dubai on time after all.

The Meal

Amuse Bouche

The meal service begins with a glass of champagne, a glass of sparkling water which are served with a packed of Cranberries and cashew nuts. For an amuse bouche there is a smoked scallop in a velvety vanilla and parsnip cream.

The good thing about the change of my travel plans is that
the menu for the flight to Dubai is more appealing than that for the Beirut
service.

First Course

shrimp tartare with fresh ginger and a lemon and mango salsa & edamame with pea cream

Salad

The Cheese

Goat’s cheese, Cantal & Camembert

The Main Course

And for the main course, I have the cod fillet with a creamy Noilly Prat sauce and artichoke cooked in two different styles (grilled and puréd)

Dessert

For dessert I go wit the pâtisserie: wild blueberry clafoutis, opera cake and a cannelé cake

All the dishes are excellent. The smoked scallop is an unusual but tasty combination with the vanilla and the fresh ginger with the starter is refreshing and goes well with the shrimp. The main course is a signature dish created by Air France’s chef, and I have to say, this dish is outstanding. It’s a really nice, chunky piece of fish and the glazing on it is lovely.

The Crew

The crew on this flight were only so so. They’re friendly,
but they don’t really seem to be in the mood to work. As a result, the meal
service is uncoordinated and chaotic and takes forever to complete. Later on
during a flight, I ring to ask for a coffee. Eventually, I ring five times, at
the end of which still nobody had showed up. So I stand up and go to the galley,
only to be told off because of ‘the turbulence’ and the fact that the fasten
seatbelt sign is on – despite the fact that we haven’t experienced any
turbulence at all for the last ten minutes. Of course, this is just a minor
thing and I guess it had to happen sooner or later. There are only few airlines
that you can consistently rely on with regard to their staff. And I should also
say that so far my experiences with Air France have always been very good.

The Second Service

An hour out of Dubai, the lights in the cabin go on for the
crew to start the second service, which consists of a small plate with a smoked
salmon wrap, an apricot tart and a profiterole. With that I finally get to have
the coffee they wouldn’t deliver.

Arrival

Eventually we land in Dubai at 22h50. In the end, the flight time was longer than originally anticipated because we had to fly around a thunder storm. Because of our later arrival, the queues for immigration are something nasty, and I end up queueing for 35 minutes to have my passport checked. And it looks as though Air France has prepared a little parting gift for me. Because in addition to the delay, they’ve also managed to make my suitcase vanish…!

Transfer in Paris Roissy

Immediately behind the immigration booths in Terminal 2G is
the exit to the bus stop for the airside busses that connect to the other
terminals. Terminal 2E M is served by the red line. Frequencies vary depending
on which terminal they’re serving.

The journey by bus from 2G to 2E M take about five minutes.

The Lounge

I haven’t transferred through the M satellite before. But I
have to say, it’s a very nice facility. The main lounge area is on the first floor.

I think Air France has put a lot of effort into updating,
expanding and modernising the lounges at its hub in Paris in recent years. And
this one here is no exception. The lounge has a very nice, spacious feel to it
and it’s also rather quiet and stays like that for the duration of my stay. It’s
a far cry from the horrific Lufthansa Business Class lounges in Munich and
Frankfurt, which are somehow always too small.

The lounge has a business area with desks to work on, a
kid’s playing area and a quiet zone where passengers can lie down and have a
rest. There are showers that are available on a first come, first serve basis,
as well as a Clarins ‘Spa’ for passengers to get a complimentary facial
treatment.

As far as food options are concerned, during my stay the
lounge is serving breakfast. The dishes change according to the time of day,
obviously. There are scrambled eggs and bacon available, in addition to a large
selection of pastries, fruit, cheese and hams.

And of course, there’s also a few eternal alcoholics helping
themselves to the hard booze at nine o’clock in the morning. ‘It’s the jetlag,
darling…’.

Boarding

Boarding for the flight starts one hour before departure
from gate M 28. Boarding is done by zones, with zone 1 and zone 2 for the
SkyPriority passengers boarding first.

And it looks like there’s been an aircraft change. And what
a nice one it is too! Originally, when I booked this flight, it should have
been operated by a Boeing B 777-300. But outside, staring my in the face in all
her glory, in an Airbus A 380! I mean, I know the Business Class on this bird
isn’t quite as fancy as that on the B 777-300, but I also have to say that
since Airbus announced the end of production and Air France and Lufthansa announced
that they were downsizing their respective fleets, every flight I can snag on
one of these aircraft is a bonus. Of course, it also means that I’m determined
to make sure I fly with every airline that operates the A 380 before they go
out of service. Luckily, I don’t have too many left on the list.

The Cabin

The cabin is in a old fashioned 2 + 2 + 2 configuration and
admittedly, there isn’t much privacy in the setup Air France has. There is no
divider in between the seats and all the six seats in a row are aligned.

Storage space is also limited in comparison to the B 777
seat of Air France. There is obviously space to put things, but somehow most of
that space is not really in a convenient position.

The seat is slightly angled, but it is still possible to sleep
on your side or on your stomach without having to make any serious contortions.

One of the biggest problems of the Airbus A 380, which I
think should be considered a design flaw, is that the aircraft is just so
bloody quiet, even with the engines on take-off thrust. I mention this here
because there are two Frenchman on this flight that are obviously determined to
talk all the way to Dubai, which is six very long hours away. Throughout the
flight, various passengers tell them to done it down, but apparently, it’s to
no avail…

The Crew

The crew are what I have come to understand as being very
typical of Air France crews. There friendly and efficient in their work, but
there’s not much warmth in them – the service and their interaction with the
passengers seems quite formal.

The Service

When I reach my seat, a big pillow, a thick blanket and a
pair of slippers have already been placed at my seat. Once boarding is
completed, the service on the ground begins. First, there is a drink service
with a choice of champagne, water or fruit juice.

Shortly after, the vanity kits and the menus for the flight
are distributed. And then eventually, thick hot towels are passed round and
orders for the main course are taken.

The Meal

The meal service is always a highly enjoyable experience
with Air France in that the quality of the food is normally very good and you
certainly needn’t worry about going hungry. And today’s flight is no exception.

Amuse Bouche

For a pre-meal drink I have a Coke Zero, which is served
with a small box of packed cranberries and cashews and a small ramekin with a beet
mousse and cheese crumble.

First Course

The first course is a plate of sautéd shrimps with a mango
tartare and a couscous with flowers, grapefruit and vegetables. The first
course is served with a choice of either brown or white bread.

Salad

There is also a salad with pine nuts, served with a small
bottle of olive oil mixed with balsamic vinegar.

Main Course

For the main dish I have the poached pollock with a curry
and coconut sauce and Camargue rice.

The Cheese

Dessert

And finally, for dessert I go with the apricot tart and vanilla ice cream.

The meal is very enjoyable and flavourful. The mango tartare
goes nicely with the shrimps and the pollock is flaky and juicy, and
complemented nicely by the rice.

The Second Service

About one hour out of Dubai, the lights come on again and
the second service begins. It’s really just a small snack and consists of a
small plate with a small vol au vent, a piece of apricot pie and a chicken wrap.

Arrival

We touch down in Dubai at 23h05, twenty minutes ahead of
schedule. We park on the non-Emirates pier, from where we have to take a
shuttle train to the arrivals hall. Luckily, I reach the immigration just ahead
of the rush hour, so at least I don’t have too long to wait there.

But there seems to be a problem with the baggage delivery. Or
rather, it’s a bit unfortunate that they put the Air France flight as the same
baggage carousel as the Lufthansa flight, because it means there are the combined
bags of a whole A 380 and a B 747-400 to delivery onto the same belt.

Eventually, my suitcase arrives after a wait of 45 minutes.
And then I head outside to grab a taxi to my hotel.

Here in Dubai I’ll be giving a course for Flydubai, which
has become the newest airline to use the English language test for pilots I
developed.

Transfer in Paris Roissy

I must admit
that I am just slightly worried about my connection in Paris. After all, Roissy
is a big place that sprawls over a vast area. Fortunately, it turn out that Terminals
2E and 2F are connected to each other and within walking distance. So I needn’t
have worried, because the whole process is swift and effortless.

There are
separate queues for SkyPriority passengers for both security and immigration,
which make the transfer painless. Twenty minutes after I exit the aircraft from
Singapore, I’m already sitting in the lounge in Terminal 2F. My flight will be
departing from gate F50.

The Lounge

The pier has
been completely redone since my last visit. And the lower level, which is also
where the lounge is, has been extended to create an entirely new floor.

The lounge
is already busy. But I’ll only be here for about thirty minutes anyway, to grab
a coffee and go to the loo before my onward connection to Zürich.

Boarding

Boarding starts on time and it looks as though it’s going to be a full flight, because they’ve already started labelling the larger items of hand luggage of passengers sitting in Economy Class to take down into the aircraft’s hold.

The Cabin

Today I’m
seated on 2A. The pitch is fairly tight on the second row. Once boarding is
completed, I notice that 1D and 1F are still available. But eventually I decide
that 2A isn’t that tight and I can’t be bothered to move again. I’m tired.

This morning
there are five rows of Business Class and it looks as though the forward cabin
is full.

The Crew

The flight attendant serving Business Class is this big, friendly woman and she’s either totally cool or has nerves of steel. Because her service is friendly and unhurried. She’s doing a full tray service, serving twenty passengers individually and on her own with a flight time of only 55 minutes.

The Meal

The meal consists of:

cooked ham with pickled vegetables

a selection of cheese and chorizo soufflé

milk rice & strawberry tartare

The
breakfast tray has a good size and combines a nice selection of different
tastes and flavours. No sooner has the flight attendant handed the passenger
behind me their tray, the captain comes on and announces the top of descent.
But our flight attendant is hardly impressed and just carries on regardless.
Excellent!

Arrival

Being early
on a Sunday morning means we’ll be making an approach for runway 34. Which is
good news, because it means they’ll be bringing us in over lake Zurich and
closer to the Alps, which look lovely covered in snow.

Eventually
we land at 08h40. By the time we taxi to the gate it’s 08h50. And that brings
to an end my Australian adventure. Tomorrow I’ll be off again, but nowhere near
as nice as Australia.

Conclusion

All I can say is that this trip has firmly established Air France as one of my favourite airlines. The consistency of the product, the friendliness and professionalism of their staff, as well as the very high quality and quantity of the food make it a real pleasure to travel with Air France. I also think that both Air France and Roissy airport have made an impressive effort these last few years to upgrade and improve their service and the customer experience. I shall look forward to my next trip with them!

Introduction

In Singapore
I’m staying at the Changi Crowne Plaza Hotel, which has direct access to
Terminal 3. I spend a blissfully lazy Saturday by the pool. I mean, what else
could you possibly ask for? I have a room that opens directly onto the pool,
it’s warm outside and all I have to do to watch the aeroplanes taking off is to
look up from my Kindle whenever I hear one thundering by.

Getting to the Airport

To get from
the hotel to Terminal 1, I exit the hotel on the second floor level and do two right
turns, which brings me to the Skytrain station for the short trip across to
Terminal 1.

Check-in

The Air
France check-in counters are on the very first row of counters when you enter
Terminal 1 coming from the direction of the Skytrain. You really can’t miss
them.

Online
check-in is available, but it is not possible to save the boarding pass to
Passbook or to have it printed. Still, it makes no difference to me, seeing as
I’ll be checking in a suitcase anyway. There is one counter for La Première,
four for SkyPriority and two baggage drop-off counters for Economy Class
passengers.

There’s a
bit of a hold up checking in. I’m not sure what’s going on, but the agents are
taking their sweet time processing the passengers. Although admittedly, it
probably doesn’t help that there’s one woman travelling on her own with, and I
kid you not, five large Rimowa suitcases, four rucksacks, two laptop bags and
one handbag. When the check-in agent breaks the news to her that, surprisingly,
she’s exceeded her baggage allowance, she looks totally surprised…

The Lounge

Air France
uses the DNATA lounge in Terminal 1, which is fairly big but also very busy
when I arrive. There’s hardly anywhere left to sit. The lounge has a good
selection of hot and hold dishes and a wide selection of drinks. Other than
that, it’s not a particularly memorable lounge.

Boarding

The flight
will be departing from gate D34, and on the boarding pass it says that boarding
will commence at 22h30 for the 23h10 departure. I figure 22h30 indicates the
time to report at the gate for the security check. Luckily, there is a separate
and much shorter queue for SkyPriority passengers. Just as I’m packing away my
things, boarding for the flight starts, with an invitation for SkyPriority
passengers to board first.

The Cabin

On the
Boeing B 777-300ER Air France has a reverse herringbone configuration, with the
window seats facing towards the windows for more privacy. The seat is fully
lie-flat and has more than enough storage space. USB and electricity plugs are also
available. The seat is quite wide, so that when in the fully flat position,
there’s still enough space to toss and turn in your sleep.

There are
two Business Class cabins, one forward of the L2 door and the other aft of it.
I am sitting in the forward cabin on 4A, which is the second row in the forward
cabin with four rows of seats.

The cabin
and seat are kept in Air France’s colours – white, red and blue – and look very
attractive and fresh. When I arrive at my seat, a pillow, blanket and slippers
have already been placed at my seat.

The Crew

The crew on
this flight are excellent. They’re quite senior and they do an outstanding job.
Throughout the flight they’re checking that the snack bar is replenished and
the toilets are regularly checked, kept stocked and clean.

The Service

Once
boarding is completed, the crew pass through the cabin with the welcome drinks.
There is a choice of champagne or fruit juice on the tray, but other drinks are
also available on request. After that, scented hot towels are handed out.

The flight
time is announced at thirteen hours and twenty minutes.

Once we’re
airborne, the crew distribute the menus and pass through the cabin with a tray
offering more champagne.

The Meal

Originally,
the plan was that I’d eat in the lounge and just go straight off to sleep once
we’re airborne. Which is why I nearly overdosed on the creamy mashed potatoes
they had in the lounge. That and the fact that I’m just a sucker for a good
plate of mash… In any case, I make the mistake of looking at the menu and
decide that it does all sound rather interesting. And I’m not really tired yet anyway,
so… bugger it. I’m in!
The
tray arrives with the first course, the salad and the cheese already on it.

First Course

Semi-cooked
tuna in a black pepper crust, served on quinoa salad and poached shrimp on a
citrus salad with cucumber and a yuzu vinaigrette.

This is a
tasty dish and the presentation works well. It’s also properly seasoned (which
is something Singapore Airlines didn’t manage quite so well…).

Salad

The salad
comes with a small bottle of balsamico mixed with olive oil. It’s mostly leaves
but it’s still a fairly large salad. With that the crew offer a selection of
breads.

Main Course

Penne with a
mushroom ragout, roast tomatoes and garlic oil.

There is a
choice of four different dishes for the main course. The pasta is good and has
managed not to go all hard and rubbery as it sometimes tends to do on a plane.
The ragout is flavourful and creamy.

The Cheese

Unfortunately,
it doesn’t say anywhere what the cheeses are, but they’re very good!

Dessert

For dessert
there is a choice of either ice cream (banana, vanilla or strawberry sorbet) or
three small pastries. I initially go for the pastries, but then the flight
attendant tells me that the strawberry sorbet out of Singapore is usually
rather nice too. Just in case I’m interested. Oh very well then, bring it on.
Je souffre en silence…

After the
meal, the crew set up a fairly substantial buffet in the galley with a good
selection of some delectable French sweets by Fauchon, sandwiches, noodle soups
and fruit.

And I go off
to the land of nod for a solid seven hours. Incidentally, the blankets Air
France provides in Business Class are lovely. They’re cosy and warm and fluffy.

Amenities

The amenity
kit is some special edition to commemorate Air France’s 85th
jubilee. It may not necessarily look like much, but at least it contains some
useful items, including eye shades, ear plugs, a toothbrush and Signal
toothpaste, a comb, and a pen.

The Second Service

The second
service begins ninety minutes out of Paris. The lights come on and passengers
are given a scented hot towel to revive.

The tray arrives with the hot meal and all the other items already on it. There are three choices for the hot meal. My meal consists of:

crêpes in a vanilla sauce with a passion fruit and mango salsa

The
breakfast is quite substantial and the hot meal is simply divine. This is total
comfort food. The vanilla cream is rich and not overly sweet and the pancakes
are light and thin.

Arrival

Just under
forty minutes out of Paris, we start our initial descent into Paris. The
captain comes on to inform us that we’ll be doing an automatic landing in Pairs
because visibility on the ground is very bad.

We touch down, the mighty triple seven gives us one last impressive roar as the reversers open to slow us down, and then it’s done. We’ve landed and I’m back in Europe. By the time we arrive at our gate in Terminal 2E it’s already 06h10. I now have just slightly over an hour to make my connection back to Zürich from Terminal 2F.

Introduction

The first two months of 2019 I’ll be spending travelling more or less nonstop, and six of those eight weeks will be for work. But luckily, the start into the new year sees me going on vacation first.

Unlike my usual vacations, which normally have me travelling to a lot of different places, this time around I’m planning to spend most of my time in one place. On the one hand, I just need a place to wind down after a very hectic and stressful 2018. On the other hand, now that I’m a PhD student, I guess I had better make a start if I intend to complete my degree within the minimum permissible timeframe of three years.

There will be a slight detour getting to some of the destinations, but by my standards, I’d like to think they’re only minor ones. But I’ll come to all of that later on.

The first leg of this trip is more or less a positioning flight – the preamble, so to speak…

Getting to the Airport

One day before departure, I receive an e-mail from DNATA, Air France’s handling agent in Switzerland, informing me that everything is ready for my flight in La Première and if I have any requests, I should not hesitate to contact them by mail or phone.

About two hours later, I receive a phone call from Air France, inquiring about the pick-up for the complimentary transfer to Zürich airport. We agree for the car to pick me up at the office in Winterthur at 13h30. The journey to the airport should take about thirty minutes, which means I will get to the airport just around 14h00, a bit over an hour before departure. At exactly 13h30, I receive a message from my driver, informing me that he’s expecting me outside on the parking lot.

It turns out the car Air France has sent to collect me is a BMW 730X, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. I honestly have no idea about cars and I haven’t even got a driver’s licence, but this car is just really nice. Of course, it also helps that the interior is colour coordinated with my Pumas…

Check-in

The driver drops me off in front of Terminal 2. He takes out my luggage and wishes me a pleasant journey.

I haven’t checked in yet, so the first stop will be at check-in. The agent there immediately checks me in to my final destination and puts a print out of the whole itinerary and the boarding passes in a bright red La Première branded folder.

He suggests having somebody escort me to the lounge, but I tell him I’m quite familiar and know my way. And so I decline.

The Lounge

In Zürich, Air France uses the Aspire lounge, which is operated by DNATA. There is no dedicated or separate First Class section to the lounge, but that seems hardly necessary.

Boarding

My flight will be departing from gate B 34. Boarding starts with a delay of about thirty minutes. Apparently, the aircraft was late departing from Paris on the inbound. Boarding is done by zones, and the first to be allowed aboard are zones 1 and 2. As I am travelling in La Première, I am invited to use the manned gate instead of one of the automatic gates.

The Cabin

I like the Air France cabin. First of all, because I think it looks very colourful with the dark blue leather seats and the bright read headrest covers and pillows. There are four rows in Business Class with a total of 16 seats on this flight, although I would say only half are occupied on this flight.

The pitch on row 1 is very good.

The Crew

The crew on this flight is really excellent. There are four ladies in total and they are very charming and professional in their demeanour and the way they go about their duties. As soon as boarding is completed, the maître de comes to welcome me aboard and offers me a welcome drink. She also brings me a bottle of still water and a pre-packaged, scented towel. She informs me that she will send a message to Paris to make sure there will be somebody at the arrival gate to pick me up.

Funnily enough, she also checks if there was somebody there to escort me from the lounge to the gate and on to the plane. When I say no, for a moment she looks quite upset. So then I explain that I specifically declined an escort because I didn’t think it necessary. And she seems to accept that.

The flight time is announced as one hour, which isn’t really very much. Even so, the crew still succeed in delivering a professional and unhurried service. As soon as the seatbelt sign is turned off, the lovely smell of something heating in the ovens starts wafting through the cabin, and I’m curious what the source of the smell is…

The Meal

The meal consists of one tray. On it there is

a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel with cucumber

a small plate with pumpkin and zucchini salad

a bowl of apple compote

a small dark chocolate

As it turns out, the divine smell is from the waffles that are served warm with the meal. And man, they’re good.

To drink I have a Coke Zero.

Arrival

As soon as I finish, the crew come to remove my tray and shortly thereafter, we start our descent into a dark and cloudy Pairs. The maître de comes to let me know that she has been informed that there will be somebody expecting me upon arrival.

The doors open and there’s a gentleman standing there, holding an iPad with my name displayed on it. He takes me downstairs and packs my bags into the booth of the waiting car. As I said, I’m not the expert, but I think this is the same type of BMW that picked me up in Winterthur to take me to the airport.

Introduction

I just arrived in Paris on a flight from Zürich. The walk from 2F to 2E takes about 10 minutes to complete and is quite painless. Of course it helps that the airport is not very busy. What I find impressive about Paris Roissy, is that although the airport as a whole covers a huge surface, the individual terminals are still quite pleasant and easy to navigate through.

With Bucharest being non-Schengen, I will have to go through passport control to enter 2E. Behind the checkpoint they have these brilliant machines where you can scan your boarding pass. The screen will then give you information about your flight and tell you from which gate you will boarding. But I still have some time to kill anyway, so I decide to check out the Air France lounge first.

The Lounge

I’ve never been to this lounge and I must say, it really is very nice. It’s spacious, with lots of place to sit. In addition to the toilets, there are also showers, a sauna and a quiet area if you want to relax.

The food options are also very good and include a variety of fresh salads with different dressings and vinaigrettes, as well as a selection of warm dishes.

Unfortunately, when I check the status of my flight, I notice that the departure time has been moved back from 18h15 to 20h25. Apparently there were a few ATC related delays on the aircraft’s previous journey to Algiers.

Boarding

Eventually boarding start just after 20h. Finally! I mean, I think Air France has done a good job keeping passengers updated. But at some point all you want is to either go back home or just get on the damn plane.

The Cabin

The cabin on this aircraft is slightly different to that on my previous flight. This aircraft has another type of seat that is covered in leather, whereas the seats on the previous aircraft had cloth covers. There is also a row 1 on both the port and starboard side of this aircraft.

There are four rows of Business Class with a total of 16 seats on tonight’s flight. 14 out of 16 seats are occupied. There is a pillow and every seat, which comes in handy later on when I doze off…

The Crew

There are two flight attendants welcoming passengers aboard. They’re quite friendly. As on the previous flight, the crew distribute packaged cold towels and drinks. They also pass through offering blankets to passengers, which is a nice gesture of goodwill given the long delay and the late hour.

The Meal

Once we’re airborne, one of the crew members passes through the cabin distributing menus.

I kind of like that, not many airlines still give you a menu on a short intra-European flight. The meal consists of

a starter of smoked salmon with salmon roe and a lobster terrine,

a choice of guinea fowl or shrimps for the main course,

a plate with butter and cheese – served with bread,

a dessert made with some kind of puff pastry and cream.

I go with the shrimps for the main course. And I must say, the quality of the meal is good. Although I’m certainly not the world’s greatest Quinoa fan, this stuff is nice and creamy, with a rich cheesy flavour.

As soon as I finish the meal, the tray is removed and the flight attendant asks me if there’s anything else I’d like. So I order a refreshing mint tea and then relax into my seat. And nod off.

Arrival

The next thing I know, we’re already descending through the snow as we make our approach into Bucharest. It looks decidedly hostile outside! There’re a lot of snow wafting across the apron and the baggage handlers I can see are muffled up to their ears to protect themselves against the cold. It’s definitely not a night you want to be outside.

Conclusion

As far as I’m concerned, of the big European carriers, Air France offers by far the best short-haul Business Class product. Admittedly, their seat is the same Euro-style Economy Class torture instrument with the middle seat empty as that of its competitors. But apart from that, the crews are very professional and the food is good.

I also think that Air France and its hub in Paris are better than their reputation. I even notice about myself that I’m always slightly apprehensive when I’m travelling on Air France. But in actual fact, so far I’ve hardly had anything to complain about.

Introduction

I’m on my way to Bucharest to give a course with the Romanian air navigation service provider. As I’m teaching on Tuesdays until 13h30, the direct flight with SWISS was not an option for me, because it leaves too early. And so I ended up being booked with Air France via Paris.

Getting to the Airport

I’m not having much luck with transportation this week. Monday started with a rejected take-off in Frankfurt that Lufthansa turned into a dog’s breakfast and which eventually saw me arriving in Zürich with a delay of four hours and several missed meetings late.

My flight today will start boarding at 14h40, so I figure I had probably best take the 13h55 train to get me to the airport at 14h10. But of course I miss that train and the next one, three minutes later, has been cancelled. And the one after that is running late. Crap!

But eventually, things turn out for me. At 14h20 my train pulls into the station at Zürich Flughafen. I even have enough time to change some currency before continuing on my way to the security checkpoint.

Check-in

Air France is checked in by DNATA at Zürich airport and has obviously succeeded in securing one of the best locations in check-in 2. As you get off the escalators, coming from the railway station, the check-in counters are just on your left.

I’ve already checked in using the Air France app, so I can head straight for security. There is one lane open for Business Class passengers and the queue is fairly long when I arrive. But obviously they’re preparing for the evening rush hour and after only a few minutes a further line is opened to speed things up.

By the time I’m through, there’s just another five minutes to go before boarding begins, and so I head straight for gate B31 from where the flight will be departing.

Boarding

Boarding starts more or less on time. The first call is for Business Class and Platinum card holders to board through the attended gate. Once that is done, the remaining passengers are invited to board via the automatic gates.

The flight is not full today, so boarding is quickly completed.

The Cabin

The Airbus A 318 is a strange little aeroplane. It’s essentially an Airbus A 319 which never fully grew. The aircraft has not been a commercial success and to be honest, I’m not sure if the production line is even still open for this type. In any case, Air France currently has a fleet of 18 of these short, stubby little aircraft.

They are configured with a seating capacity of a maximum of 118 seats. On today’s flight there are four rows of Business Class with a total of 14 seat. On the port side of the vessel there is no row 1, the bulkhead row on this side is row 2. I am seated on 2A, a window seat. With only three passengers in the Business Class cabin in total, I have the whole row to myself, which is obviously very luxurious and makes for a very comfortable ride. The seat pitch throughout is 32 inches. In addition, there is a red pillow at every seat, which gives the impression of a very bright and fresh cabin.

The Crew

The service up front is done by the maître de, a young French woman. Apparently, the English language continues to be a problem for Air France. But as long as I can communicate with her in French, I think we should be alright. While boarding is still in process, she welcomes me on board, brings me a refreshing towel and asks me if there’s anything I’d like to drink. I order a bottle of still water.

Throughout the flight she takes good care of the three of us, in addition to helping out with the service in the back. What I particularly like though, is that Air France strictly enforces a closed curtain policy on its flights.

The Meal

As soon as we’re airborne, the meal service begins. The flight time is estimated at 1 hour and 5 minutes, which is not very much. The meal service consists of one tray that has on it:

a wholegrain, bresaola and horseradish sandwich,

pickled vegetables served with a tartar sauce,

a warm cheese stick,

a bowl of diced pear in honey,

a Tropézienne cake and a small but sinfully dense chocolate cake thingy,

a box with two chocolate pralines.

To drink with that I have a Coke Zero. Coffee, tea and hot chocolate are also available after the meal, but I decline the flight attendant’s offer.

The meal is not particularly big or anything, but given the short flight time I think it is perfectly adequate.

Arrival

Eventually we start our descent into Paris. It’s quite windy, but at least it’s a bright sunny day here – despite the cold. Terminal 2F is home to Air France’s European Schengen flights. My connecting flight will depart from 2E, which is in walking distance and very quick and easy to reach from 2F.